Blog Discontinuation

As of June 2017, Lorena Elementary School is no longer updating this blog. You can find the latest news and information from the school by visiting our website at es.lorenaisd.net.

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STAAR Info Night

We had a very successful 3rd Grade STAAR Info Night.  Our 3rd Grade teachers organized this evening with the purpose of getting information to parents about the STAAR.  We have a few months before the 3rd graders take the STAAR, but we feel like it was the right time to get together to show parents what they can do to help their children do better, not only on the STAAR, but at school.  We began the evening with pizza and a general assembly in the cafeteria.  This followed by small sessions in each of the 3rd grade rooms.  They had three rotations to put together games for the children to play at home.  We had over 200 people signed up to come.  The cafeteria was full.  We are so grateful for all those who came.

Welcome Back Students!!

As I mentioned in my last post, December is a fun time of the year.  January can be as much fun, but without all the presents.  As a child, I loved January because after school I would go to the local park to play hockey with neighborhood friends.  The weather was consistently below freezing, so the ice was always good and slick.  I don't know how long I played, but I spent a lot of time at either Longfellow Park or Brackett Field.  Both had lights, so we could play until late if we wanted to.  The best temperature for skating was about 20 degrees.  I remember the coldest day I every played.  It was a Saturday morning and it was clear.  It was 20 degrees below zero.  When I played hockey, I was always moving.  But, at 20 degrees below zero, my toes never warmed up.  Have you ever experienced your toes being so cold that when you warmed them up, they would itch "like crazy?"  Yes, those were the days - January - a great month.

As for us here at Lorena Elementary School, we have much to look forward to:

1. I'll be driving our 4th graders to Austin on our first ever field trip to the Bob Bullock Museum on January 6th.  I'm looking forward to it.  
2. Our 2nd Box Top Contest begins on January 9th
3. Our Awards Assemblies will be in the PAC on January 13th
1. 3rd Grade @ 8:30
2. 4th Grade @ 9:30
3. 5th Grade @ 10:30
4. Beat the Facts begins this month.  We encourage all of you to help your child learn his/her math facts.  The contest begins the week of January 23rd.  I'll have more details going home in the near future.

I have been communicating to parents weekly via email about things that are going on.  If you have not been receiving these weekly emails and you're a parent/guardian and would like to receive them, let me know.  My email address is lowellanderson@lorenaisd.net 

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

We're nearing the end of the first semester of a very productive school year.  As most adults will say about life, it goes by so quickly.  That is no different this year.  This first semester has been filled with a lot of good memories.  Our new teachers have made themselves right at home and our students have adjusted to their new grades.  

Just recently our students competed in UIL.  We took a lot of students who have been working on their content.  This year we were 3rd in our district behind Robinson and Gatesville.  We're already talking about next year to see how we can make improvements.  We would love to be first and we have the potential to be first.  We will have recognize all the competitors in a morning assembly in January.  I'll let you all know later when that will be.

Our 4th graders made a trip to the Primary School to read to Kindergarten and 1st graders.  They loved sitting down with them, reading to a small group of students.  Our 5th grade took a special service field trip to Westview Nursing Home in McGregor.  Like the 4th Grade, our 5th Graders went to serve others, reading stories and singing carols.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas break.  We look forward to seeing our students back on Tuesday, January 3rd. 

What goes with Autumn?

We are in our 6th week of school.  My how time flies.  Students are getting settled in.  I'm slowly getting to know all the new students' names and learning something about each one of them.  When I eat lunch with these students, it's interesting how their true personalities come out.  I engage myselft in conversations that begin with simple questions like, "Who was your teacher last year?" or "What do you like to do?"  Depending on the mix of students, it could get busy with questions.  The 45 minute time frame goes by quickly.  We end our time together with a game and I take their picture.  These pictures help me reference back to keep their names in my memory bank.

I love football season!  As a child, cheering for the Minnesota Vikings was something I looked forward to.  Each year they had a competitive team.  There has been few seasons where we have not been competitive.  The Dallas Cowboys are much the same - always competitive.  The difference between the Cowboys and Vikings is that the Vikings have never won a Super Bowl.  We're 0-4!!

As for college football, I never had much to cheer for when I was a child.  The University of Minnesota had a team, but were very rarely competitive when I was young.  When I was three years old, the Minnesota Gophers (yes, I said "Gophers") football team was National Champions.  Since then, only 1967 they were competitive.  As an adult I can claim many teams that are competitive:  Since I lived in Lubbock, the Texas Tech Red Raiders were one of my favorites before I moved to Waco.  My two sons graduated from Texas A&M, so it's been fun cheering for them.  And of course, I live in Waco and I love to watch the Baylor Bears.

Of course, being from the North, I have grown accustomed to enjoying the cooler weather.  I really don't look forward to the frigid temperatures, but I do enjoy the cool evenings.  I am experienced driving on the snow, so that doesn't concern me as much as it concerns many here.  I grew up playing hockey -- a wonderful sport to play!!!  My North Stars became the Dallas Stars - a little burr under my saddle.

All-in-all, I enjoy being where I'm at.  I love my job and I look forward to making a positive difference in our students' lives here at Lorena Elementary School.  I might be from the North and cheer for teams you would never cheer for, but I'm a Lorena Leopard.  Have a wonderful Fall and let's hope to see some Autumn-like beauty here in Central Texas.

We Do This for the Students

Teachers, staff, and administrators get up every morning - early.  We do our morning routine to get ready.  For some of my staff, getting their children ready is a challenge.  I remember when I was a school teacher.  My wife and I decided that having both our boys enroll in the school that I taught was the best thing.  I lived in Lubbock and travelled about 30 minutes to Abernathy, Texas.  I was a 4th grade teacher for many years and both of my children were in elementary school when I was a teacher at Abernathy Elementary School.

My oldest son was a quiet boy who had many friends.  He was smart and was good about doing his work.  When he was old enough to be a 4th grader, I asked my boss if I could have him in my class.  He was reluctant, but complied with my request.  For the most part, it was a great year.  He behaved well.  He never called me "papa" in front of his friends, but never called me "Mr. Anderson" either.  I don't remember what he did to get my attention.  I guess he raised his hands.  My wife was a "single parent" that year.  I say that, because I didn't sign any of his notes and my wife usually was the one to help him on his homework (I helped him some).  Needless to say, it was a good year - something most teachers would not do (to have their child in their class).  My son wasn't perfect.  Once he decided it would be cool to mock me in front of his friends.  We laugh to this day about how I had to give him a "write-up."  He said that was the only one he got that year.

My youngest son did not have me as a teacher.  We moved to Waco the summer before he was in the 4th grade.  I would've requested him if I was still in Abernathy.  In fact, he looked forward to being in my class.  Thomas, my younges son, was very social and was not shy like my oldest son, Lars.  Thomas wouldn't hesitate from walking into my class during my teaching when he was in the lower grades to get lunch money
from me.  It was a comforting thing to have both of my children in the same school with me.

As a teacher, I looked forward to each new year to learn names of my new students.  I enjoyed gettting to know each of them and teaching each one the skills of the 4th grade.  Workbook pages and tests are things I don't remember as a teacher.  My fondest memories are the students' personalities, their smiles, and the challenges that each one had.  I remember some better than others, some because of struggles that I may have had with them or the joy I had conversing daily as a teacher.  As a male teacher at Abernathy Elementary, I was "an icon" of sorts.  Besides the principal, I was the only other man around.  That in itself was an advantage for me.  I really enjoyed what I did and I was pretty good at it.

When I left teaching to become an administrator, I was ready to move on.  Every day I reflect on my fondest memories of being an effective teacher.  I want the same now - to be an effective administrator.  I want to make a positive difference in the lives of my students. I don't have one class anymore to get to know.  I have 375 students who need my leadership, my smile, my humor, and my energy.  I still have these qualities and use them every day in my role as principal at Lorena Elementary School.

There is no way I would be doing what I am doing if it wasn't for the students who come to school every day.

Join the Lorena PTO!

The Lorena Parent Teacher Organization is beginning its membership drive for the 2016-17 school year! The cost is $10 per family, which includes a campus wide directory. Additional directory copies are available for $5 each.

To join, please download and complete the registration form and then return it along with your payment in an envelope marked PTO Membership to any Lorena ISD campus.

We look forward to working together to enrich the education and experience of all the students of Lorena ISD!

Lorena PTO Registration Form

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